Fallen
by The Raven Dark Angel
Summary: A story about love and sacrifice, hate and death. A story where the lines between good and evil are hopelessly blurred, where happy endings only belong in fairytales...OkitaOC. R for later chapters.
1. Whisper

…

They stood just outside the hospital where Okita Souji had been staying for a month now, caught in a standoff at long last. The years of games were long gone, and it was time for them to finally make an end to it. She had been waiting for this for a long time.

"Go on, love. Go in. You'll be safe inside." Jarenna murmured to her child, who was barely three years old. The boy's wide lavender eyes were fixated on his mother. The danger he felt was overwhelming, and he refused to leave her. What if the same thing happened to her like it happened to Sister four months ago?

He shook his head and clung to her.

She gently pried his fingers from her kimono and fixed him with a steady stare. "I need you to go in, Koji. Listen to me."

Reluctantly, the child moved away from his mother, and headed to the gates. He did not go in, however, simply staying out of sight within the gates. He wanted to stay and watch his kaa-chan from the evil woman. He would protect her.

__

Fallen angels at my feet

Whispered voices at my ear

"You've changed," Kimiko remarked. It was a new Jarenna she was looking at now. Her dark eyes were weary, and there was a strange gentleness in them now. Her wild spirit had diminished, leaving a woman laden with unspoken sorrow. Yet there was an air of confidence about her, entirely different from the almost arrogant grace that had been her signature ever since Kimiko could remember. This Jarenna was a failure.

"So have you."

"Nothing personal, Jarenna." Kimiko said blandly as soon as the child was gone. She was toying with her blade casually; she had gotten improved vastly during the years, and had been wanting to test her skills out on a worthy opponent.

Jarenna smirked mockingly. She could read the younger girl like a book. "Indeed? You're doing this because Souji loved me instead of you. This is not just about the mission, is it?"

"You stole him from me." She bit off coldly.

"We both know that's a lie." The smirk in her voice was not completely gone. "He was never yours to begin with, was he?"

Kimiko was silent.

The other woman paused, studying her. "You've learned how to control your temper."

"I learned from the best."

Jarenna smiled, a smile borne of acceptance. She had lived by violence; she would die by violence. It was just the way it was. No matter how much she'd changed, nothing could change the fact that she'd killed too many people to expect to die in peace.

__

Death before my eyes

Lying next to me I fear

"You know the only way this can end, don't you?"

Jarenna looked up at the overcast gray sky and nodded. Yanagi had already been dispatched, her vengeance for her murdered daughter was complete. Now, it would be her final battle. "Of course."

"Nothing personal. You know our laws for renegade assassins."

Her voice was filled with quiet pride. "I taught you that."

__

She beckons me shall I give in?

Upon my end shall I begin?

Kimiko bowed slightly, a mark of deference for the woman who had once been her teacher. But her wary eyes never left Jarenna's, in case she tried a sneak attack. "You have trained me well."

Her eyes hardened in response. It was time to receive her vengeance. "Come. Let us end it, then."

__

Forsaking all I've fallen for I rise to meet the end…

Jarenna drew her trademark wakizashi, and the battle began.

Already weakened by her earlier pregnancies, the present Jarenna was no match for her nemesis. She failed to block a fatal stab, and stumbled to the ground, blood staining her sky blue kimono.

There were no other words spoken.

It was finished.

"Kaa-chan!" Koji screamed, running out from his hiding place to his fallen mother, sobbing loudly. "Kaa-chan!"

Kimiko stared impassively at the boy, flicking her sword to get rid of the blood. He was crying violently now. She watched Jarenna, a woman whom she'd both hated and admired. She was dead now, and a part of her was secretly disappointed. She had expected her to last longer. _The years have not been kind to either of us, my friend._

Kneeling beside the heart-broken boy, she said nothing until he spun to her, eyes blazing. "You killed my kaa-chan! My tou-chan will kill you! He'll kill you!" He started to cry again, and she was reminded of the first time she'd seen a young boy cry like that. Jarenna had not showed an ounce of mercy to him, then. A lovely angel of death, she had bestowed that gift onto entire families, never losing her saccharine sweetness even at the moment of death.

He turned to run, but Kimiko was faster. Her sword went clear through his back to pierce his heart. The boy fell to the ground without a sound, and the blood seeped onto the ground, staining it a dark, dark red. It was almost black.

At least Jarenna would not be alone now.

Not too far away, within the hospital wing, Okita Souji, too, lost his own battle. With his last breath he whispered Jarenna's name, a faint smile on his bloodied lips.

The heavens wept, cleansing the two bodies of their blood, cleansing Kimiko of both love and hate.

It was over now. Their story was done.

Kimiko knelt over her friend's body and pressed her lips to her forehead. "Tell Yanagi I said hello," she whispered, getting to her feet.

She picked up Jarenna's fallen umbrella, opened it, and continued her walk down the empty street.

…

A lifetime ago:

Tsukino Yanagi sat peacefully across from her boss, calmly sipping the freshly-brewed tea. She glanced out the window; it was close to daybreak, and she'd been sitting here for three full hours. It had been a job well done, and they were waiting for their next assignment.

Beside her, Kimiko shifted, obviously restless and eager to go out.

"Excellent work, ladies." Hatsue smiled, setting the papers aside. "The clients will be very pleased with the information."

"I don't see why we had to accept this assignment." Kimiko said in disgust. "They're pigs. Why can't they just get someone else to do their dirty work for them?"

"Because, my dear girl, this is what we do. And this is what guarantees our continued existence in society. We cannot afford to judge." The older woman replied almost kindly as she pushed three envelopes of money towards them. "We have another assignment today. The details are in the envelopes, too. Make sure Jarenna sees it." She paused. "Where is she, anyway?"

Yanagi smiled. "Where she always is after missions, Hatsue-san."

…

"Do you think it'd be good to disturb Jarenna now?" Kimiko asked as they made their way down the long corridor. The three of them favored this inn greatly; it had beautiful surroundings and there were sakura trees everywhere. The innkeeper even had three rooms specially for them, something almost everyone in Kyoto would kill for. The Jade Blossoms Pavilion was an inn with high-profile clientele, after all.

Yanagi looked up from her paper as they stopped. She'd been so deep in thought that she hadn't listened to a word the other girl was saying. "Hmm?"

Kimiko repeated her question with a touch more impatience. "Do you think it's wise to disturb her? The last time we did, it was mortifying." She blushed at the memory.

"Hmm…" She folded the paper and looked outside, idly judging the time. Then her gaze travelled two doors down to the one Jarenna was in. A soft muffled shifting was heard in the silence, and she smiled. Holding up a hand, she counted down the seconds silently.

Three.

Two.

One.

Bam.

A man stumbled out onto the corridor, half-nude. Thankfully it was just his top half that was undressed. Yanagi ran an appreciative eye over said male while Kimiko simply rolled hers. Jarenna knew how to choose, all right.

"It was fun while it lasted, Kakuzo-han, but I really must freshen up," a lilting voice wafted out sweetly. The man didn't even bother to make a reply as he slipped on his haori, a silly kind of smile on his face. It was part of the Jarenna charm, no red-blooded man could be angry with her, no matter what she did.

He was still wearing that stupid grin as he swept past them. Kimiko scowled, disgusted.

Yanagi shrugged, very much amused. "Hey, he's cute."

There was a short pause, and the same voice called out again. "Well? Aren't you girls coming in?"

…

"Ahh, much better." Jarenna ran a brush through her hair. She'd just thrown on a thin yukata, and the other two very quickly made themselves at home.

"You never keep them around for more than five hours," Yanagi observed, leaning against the window sill and observing the servants sweeping the courtyard below.

"What's the point, really?" Jarenna agreed. "They're just tools to work off steam on."

"Seems like you're working them, all right." Kimiko remarked dryly, studying a painting that hung on the wall. It was pretty abstract, and she still couldn't figure out what it was really supposed to be. "That one earlier was grinning like a moron."

She shrugged. "I've got what I wanted, and he got what he wanted. What's not to smile about?" She tugged idly on the worn red string that she'd been wearing ever since she could remember.

"That's a rather strange accessory, isn't it?" Kimiko was sure that the particular string did not hold any religious meaning of any kind, and the fact that Jarenna was never seen without it was cause for curiosity. She'd never worn anything more than once, and that had also applied to accessories.

"Yes," she replied noncommittally. "It is, isn't it?"

Yanagi tossed the envelope over to her, and she caught it easily enough. Her expression brightened considerably as she saw the stack of bills, which wasn't a surprise. Out of all of them, Jarenna loved money the most. She pulled out a slip of paper and scanned through it.

"Another mission?"

"A minor one this time. Some businessman wants us to off his partner."

Her nose wrinkled in distaste, but the expression was quickly gone. "This'll only take an hour. Price?"

"Fifty Ryo. Each."

The other girl's smile widened. "Excellent. Let's get cracking, then."

"It's a nice day out. I was thinking of spending it in the marketplace later." Yanagi replied, turning from the window. "What do you girls think?"

"Cool," Kimiko beamed, her attention drawn from the painting. "There's a new fabric stall in town, and their fabrics are simply amazing. We could go and take a look!"

"Sure." Jarenna set her brush down hopefully. "Let's go and see if they still sell kuroame first, though. I want a few bags."

…

"No!" Akira Mazue snapped angrily at the pageboy, who looked like he wanted desperately to be anywhere but here. "I will not agree to the trade, tell your boss that!"

The boy was already shaking, and he took off before he could say anything else. Grunting, he moved to slam the gates shut when a sweet-faced young woman came into his line of vision, a frilly basket of flowers in hand. "Good morning, sir." She cast an admiring glance at the compound and smiled. "Wow, it's a wonderful place you have here. Would you like some flowers to enhance it? Or for your wife, perhaps?"

He glanced from her face down to the flowers, and jerked back when he realized that they were full of white chrysanthemums. The flowers of death.

"No, I'm not interested." He turned to shut the gates once more, but she shook her head.

"Please, kind sir, listen to me for a moment, these are—"

"You would sell this kind of thing to me?" he demanded coldly, glaring at her. What game was this wench playing at, selling funeral flowers? "These are flowers for dead people, not for living beings! What is this rubbish!"

"I know that, Akira-han," Came the assured reply, even as the cry of a woman pierced the air. "They are for you."

A second later, Akira Mazue fell to the ground with a final thud, throat slashed, eyes wide and unseeing, mouth open in a silent scream of horror.

Stepping over the corpse, she dropped the flower basket casually on it and entered the house.

…

It was done, the mother, and the nineteen year-old daughter were killed, their blood an ever-growing pool on the ground. Yanagi casually flicked the end of her katana to get rid of the blood, and Kimiko sheathed her own. But their focus, however, was on the ground in a corner.

Kimiko was hesitant. "Should we?"

"Why not?"

"But he's so young," She protested. "Barely three. I mean—"

"Hush, Kimiko. You'll scare the poor child."

Jarenna didn't look at her as she inched her way forward, toward the crouching, terrified toddler, who stared up at them with wide eyes. He was shaking violently and starting to cry. She made her way to him, and he tried to move back, only to be blocked by the g wall behind him. Jarenna lovingly stroked the young boy's cheek, and he whimpered in abject fear. He was so young.

"Shh," she soothed with a gentle smile. "It'll be all right. Close your eyes."

Kimiko closed her own, unwilling to look. How can anyone just kill a small child like that without the slightest hint of emotion?

Her hand reached to cover his eyes, and with the speed of a viper, her blade found it's vicious way into his heart. A small cry, and Jarenna whipped her wakizashi out seconds before he fell over, face down on the ground.

She stood up and undid her blood-spattered kimono, revealing another brand new one underneath. In casual imitation of both her comrades' earlier actions, she shed the garment. Daintily, she stepped over the boy's corpse and smiled. It was as if this was some kind of excursion instead of a massacre. "Come on, let's go before someone decides to investigate."

__

You didn't have to kill the boy, Kimiko thought silently as they slipped out of the back gates. He was barely three, and obviously the earlier scene was traumatic enough for him. But then again, Jarenna being what she was, it had been entirely expected. Who in the underworld did not know that Nemesis' viciousness was greater than her charm? It was no surprise that not one of them knew her name. None of the denizens ever revealed their real names, even to each other.

Jarenna had noticed her acute discomfort. Who could blame her? Kimiko was very new to this, after all. "It's nothing personal, Kimiko," she said softly. "There was only one way it could end."

Yanagi led the way, pretty much unperturbed, her mind more focused on sending a quick report back to Hatsue. Their work was done, and like Jarenna, she was looking forward to a day of shopping.

The girls resumed their walk toward the Kyoto marketplace.

…

__

I am the one with the brightest hair, leather I don't care

Baby I

Don't ever want to take the shirt off

That's my dare

You got a girl but you touching me like you don't care,

Baby you

Do you

But just don't get caught out there

Man, I got ten surrounding me

Hounding me

Center of attention

A riot it's bound to be

Though I'm in the middle

My jewels you're bound to see

I ain't one to care

I ain't used to fair

Baby you can keep the truth

Choose the dare

Me and my girls will be there tell your boys prepare to share

We'll play the dancing truth or dare

If someone's standing there, stare say

Hey baby what's your name

Don't stand looking insane

Do you want to ride the train, welcome to the fast lane

If you're in love beware

'Cause these people they don't care

All hands in the air

This is what we call truth or dare

"Truth Or Dare"—N.E.R.D feat. Kelis

…

****

AN: This is the song that inspired the story, 'cause I think it's bold and kinky, LOL. What do you think of this story so far? Tell me about it! 


	2. Promise

****

AN: Sorry for such a long wait, everyone! I just want to state that this has nothing to do with 'Yukijurou'. This is a new story which I'm currently trying out, so please read and tell me what you think of it!

__

x.x.x

"Let's run away today, Yuki-chan." A six year-old girl whispered to her doll, a roughly made poppet that had never left her side ever since her mother had made it for her.

She hugged the doll to her tightly, then cast a last glance at the sleeping children. They were all not much older than she was, and yet she felt so much more alienated. A neighbour had dropped her off here less than a week ago, and she hated it. She wanted her parents.

"But your parents are dead," they would always tell her softly. "If you are a good girl, your new parents will come, and they will love you, too."

But she only wanted her old parents.

She would go back, she decided. Her parents would be back if she went back to their house. Even though there would be nothing left but charred remains where their house stood, she knew that they would find her there.

With that thought in mind, she quietly slipped past the open shoji door and out. Nirumi-sensei would be deep in sleep by now, and so would not be checking on them. By tomorrow, she would be long gone.

"Home," she sighed quietly to Yuki-chan as she crept out of the large doors that had been left ajar. Once outside, she paused for a moment. Where should she go next?

Where…

In all her calculations and planning, there was one thing missing. Where was her home? Which way should she go?

The night seemed so much darker and colder outside, and it suddenly seemed like she was the only one in the entire world. Frightened, she wandered along, taking meandering turns that seemed to lead to darker and darker places. Clutching Yuki-chan tightly, she felt tears prick at her eyes. She was lost.

She was never going to go home.

"Kaa-chan…" Where was Mother? She wanted her mother.

Sinking down to the ground, she squeezed Yuki-chan and sobbed. She was lost in a dark, dark place and no one wanted her anymore. Was this where naughty children went? Nirumi-sensei had said so.

"I'll never be naughty again," she cried into her doll. "I promise I'll be good. Let me go home…I won't be naughty again…"

"Hello," a quiet voice broke the silence. "You must be hungry."

The little girl instinctively cowered against the wall. The person was wreathed in shadow, and the fact that she couldn't see him clearly scared her even more. He must be one of the monsters here! "No! G-go away! I'm not a bad person!"

"Here." A rice ball suddenly entered her line of vision, and she slapped it away immediately, squeezing her eyes shut.

"Go away! I just want to go home…"

"Where's your home?" The figure squatted, and Jarenna finally caught a look at his face. He was young and friendly, and not much older than her. She stared at him in surprise.

"You're not a monster."

He laughed, eyes twinkling. "I'm not a monster. I'm a boy! See?"

She hesitated and looked around, forgetting her tears. "I thought only monsters stayed here…are you lost, too?"

"I…I stay here."

"Here? But it's so dark…"

"It's dark everywhere, silly! It's nighttime!" He sat down next to her, rice ball already forgotten. "Are you lost?"

"I…I want to go home."

"I'll help you, then. Where do you live?"

"I don't know…"

"Eh? How can you not know? Where did you come from?"

"OI, damn brat. What the hell are you still doing out here?" Came another voice, much deeper and a touch more sneering. There was the flick of a match, and the sudden glare of a lantern. It was now that she realized that she was not in an evil place, but in the backyard of someone's house.

She watched the vein in the boy's head throb visibly as he stood up.

"My name is Soujirou!"

The lantern came nearer, and the little girl screamed, scaring the both of them. This one was a monster! A real monster!

"Oi," the monster grunted. "You brought your little girlfriend here for a grope or something, wuss?"

"MONSTER!" she screamed, throwing her doll at him with all her might. The doll promptly smacked him hard in the face as she tried to scuttle away.

"Why, you—" the monster growled, and the lantern came closer. She squeezed her eyes shut, knowing that she was about to die. Ohh, why did she have to pick tonight to run away? She felt herself being lifted up, and when she opened her eyes, she was staring down into the monster's face. It looked like a man.

She screamed again and kicked out, trying to get free. Was it going to eat her? "I'll be good!" She bawled. "Don't eat me, don't eat me!"

"She even wibbles like you, brat." The monster grunted. Then he frowned. "Aren't you the new kid in that orphanage?"

"What's going on, Toshi?" A sleepy voice queried. Another big man came out, and a terrified She renewed her desperate bid to get free.

"I found the wuss and this little girl in your backyard, Kat-chan." He replied with a smirk.

"Eh? A girl?"

"Yeah. I was just about to bring her back, and spend a little time with Nirumi…"

"You horny bastard, you."

"Don't eat me! I wanna go hooommme…"

"All right! Jeez! Don't wake up the entire neighbourhood already!" the monster snapped, and suddenly she was flung over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"Be careful with her, Toshi!"

…

"Why did Kat-chan's mother have to be so mean…" Soujirou was huddled amongst the long grass—his only solace. The Bad Egg and Kat-chan's mother hated to see him crying, so he had to do it somewhere else.

With a dirt-smudged hand, he clumsily wiped away his tears, only to have them start again. No one wanted him, anyway. The Bad Egg called him 'Souji' and a lot of other bad names, and Kat-chan's mother was always yelling at him and making him do things. There had never been a smile to spare for him.

Suddenly, the long grass shifted, and a familiar face peered down at him. "Hey…why are you crying? Are you hurt?"

He stared at her, wide-eyed. "Ehhh…? You're that girl from yesterday!"

She stared back at him for a long moment, then recognition dawned on her face. "You're the big brother from yesterday."

He was flattered. "No one ever called me Big Brother before." Soujirou had always been the baby of the family, and had never had someone younger than him to look after.

The little girl squinted at him, then said, "Boys don't cry."

He scowled as she dug around in her plain yukata. Was she going to make fun of him, too? "You don't need to tell me that, too! I—"

"Here." A plain sweet was held out to him.

"Eh?"

"Nirumi-sensei always gives me sweets when I'm sad. She says that eating it will make me feel better, because sweet things chase sad things away."

Tentatively, he reached out and took the sweet from her. He'd rarely gotten candy, and had been longing for it ever since his sister brought him to the dojo and left him there. "Th-thank you."

He took it and popped it into his mouth, but almost choked as the little girl suddenly took his hand, her small fingers winding tightly through his. "Wh-wha—"

"Sensei always does this," she told him matter-of-factly, not letting go of his hand. "And it always makes me feel good. It will make you feel better, too. Sensei says that people who cry are lonely, and they need people to love them so they can be brave. So don't cry, I'll love you, so you can be brave, too."

…

"Are you going to run away again?"

She jumped in fright. That voice, she recognized that voice… Spinning around, she saw the handsome, girlish-looking boy she'd seen earlier. Her new friend!

"I'm going to find Yuki-chan," she told him. "And then I'm going to run away."

"Yuki-chan?" he frowned, then held up her doll. "Is this Yuki-chan?"

Grinning broadly, she grabbed her doll from him and hugged it. "Yuki-chan! You found her!"

"I wanted to give it back to you this morning, but—"

The breath was knocked out of his lungs as she hugged him tightly. "Thank you!"

Following that, she tucked Yuki-chan securely into the folds of her kimono and prepared to set off, this time in an opposite direction.

"Wh—where are you going?"

"Home." She stopped and frowned at him. "Why don't you run away too? There are so many monsters in your house. Won't they eat you up? Let's run away together, then we can go to my home! My Mother and Father are very nice, you'll see!"

He was confused. "Isn't this your home?"

"No! Nirumi-sensei says that my new parents are coming to get me tomorrow, but I don't want to go! I want to go back to my old home!"

Maybe it would be good, he could run away with her and see if her home was nice. His family didn't want him, Kat-chan's mother and that bad egg Hijikata-san always made him cry. Maybe her home would be better.

"I'll come with you!"

She beamed at him. He was a good person; Mother and Father would be happy when they saw him. "Really?"

"Yes, but wait for me for a little while, just a little while!" He needed to pack his things and get a little food, then they were all ready to go.

Her face fell. Was he going to leave her too? "Where are you going?"

"I need to get my things. Wait for me, I'll come with you, I promise!"

She looked uncertain. He took off the red string he'd always worn and slipped it onto her wrist. "Here, a promise!" He had to make it fast before anyone found out what he was going to do. "Don't leave without me, okay? I'll be back soon!"

With a broad grin, The little girl hugged her doll to her and nodded. They were going to run away together! She didn't even know his name, but it seemed like she had known him forever. Mother and Father would be happy to see him, and then he could be her Big Brother and then they could all be happy together!

And so she waited.

She waited until the sun rose and Nirumi-sensei found her outside.

And waited until she was all cleaned up and dressed in her least dirty clothes.

She was still waiting when her new parents came to take her away.

"Why didn't you come back?" she mumbled to herself as her new father picked her up carefully and carried her. After waiting for the entire night, she was too sleepy to be upset. Her new father's shoulder was warm and comfortable, and she was falling asleep.

Her grip on Yuki-chan weakened, and soon the doll slipped from her grasp, falling to the ground.

x.x.x

Soujirou panted as he ran towards the orphanage. Kat-chan's mother had caught him taking food, and all hell had broken loose. He'd been banned from going out, and it was only now that he'd managed to sneak out. Would the girl still be there? Would she be angry? He really wanted to go with her. Kat-chan was a nice person, but the girl was a nice person too, and he wanted to see what her home was like.

'Please still be there!' he thought as he sprinted, adding more speed into it. He was sorry he'd taken so long and that she had to wait.

Running up the dust path, he skirted past a man and a woman. The man was carrying his child, who was asleep on his shoulder.

It was at this moment in time that the boy named Okita Soujirou had missed the girl who would later be known as Yukijurou Jarenna by a hairsbreadth.

And yet, the years would go by, maturing the both of them. This particular interlude would not be forgotten by either one, however. How could they, when they've each got a piece of the other?

…

Considering the looming threat of revolution, and the emergence of fierce new peacekeeping troops patrolling the streets nowadays, the place was still bustling with activity, and children still ran and played together.

Jarenna licked her fingers fleetingly upon finishing the sweetcake Yanagi had purchased on a whim earlier. The two ladies strolled the streets lackadaisically, chatting about the latest fashions and what powder they should buy while a dazed Kimiko followed behind.

She was still stunned at the cold-blooded murder of that little boy. Being relatively new, she'd only gone out of a few missions, and had never seen Jarenna kill children before. She wasn't sure if she wanted to.

__

That's not the way it's supposed to be, she thought, fighting back a chill. _Aren't we supposed to follow some kind of code? Shouldn't we just let kids live?_

Kimiko loved children. To her, they could do no wrong, and did not deserve death. Most of the clients they had deserved it one way or another, but the boy did not.

__

And yet…

And yet the two of them looked at him as if he deserved it. Even the cool, composed Yanagi had—

"Come on, Kimiko!" Jarenna called cheerfully. "You've got to hurry, or Old Man Matsu's going to be all out of his finest silks!"

"I—"

"They've got a nice shade of pink that will suit you perfectly," Yanagi mused thoughtfully as they stopped and waited for her to catch up with them. "It'll bring out the color in your cheeks."

Kimiko didn't know how to respond to that. She was saved from it, though, when their servant's young son ran up to them, obviously out of breath.

__

He's not a lot older than the child we killed today, she thought absently.

"What is it?" Yanagi asked quietly, not wanting to make a scene. Already a couple of people were shooting them curious looks at the urgency that the boy had displayed. Kimiko thought that it was pretty much unneeded. None of the servants in the estate knew what they really did, or who they really were, after all. What was the boy going to say that would be classified as confidential?

"Your-your mother needs you," he panted, wiping the sweat of his brow. Obviously, he'd run all the way here, a decidedly impressive feat.

He was about to say something more when a voice bellowed. "Move it! Move it! MOVE, DAMMIT!"

Yanagi idly pulled him out of the way of a little redhead that barreled past, clutching the Shinsengumi recruitment notice. The boy charged like a raging bull, knocking people out of his way and leaving a trail of smoke behind. Within seconds he was gone.

"Wow." Jarenna remarked, distracted. "I didn't know someone so small can run so fast."

"OIIIII, TEEEETSUUUU!" A much larger person sprinted past them, significantly slower than the first runner. He obviously had better lungs, though, because they could hear him babbling as he ran.

"I wonder what the kid's going to do with the sign," Jarenna wondered aloud, obviously interested. The Shinsengumi had been in town for awhile now, and they'd established quite a reputation. None of the girls really cared about them, but ever since their appearance, the crime rate had dropped quite drastically. There were more deaths, of course, but at least one could walk safely in the streets now without getting robbed.

"He might be hitting people with it." Yanagi shrugged, completely unperturbed. She turned to the boy, who was trying to get their attention. "Did she say what it was about?"

"Uhm…she said that she wanted white plum blossoms."

Yanagi stiffened, and the three girls exchanged identical looks. They landed a big one this time.

"Well then," Jarenna piped up cheerfully. "Let's go and see if we can get some for Mother, shall we?" The bigger the danger, the larger the payout. The larger the payout, the happier Jarenna was. The question was, who were they going to kill this time? It was definitely someone relatively important, but who?

…

"Hijikata Toshizou?" Yanagi almost spilled her tea. The man was well-known for his womanizing ways, and even more well-known for being the merciless Vice-chief of the Shinsengumi. He was the most bloodthirsty wolf of the entire pack, and they want to kill him? The more important thing was, they had never been involved with politics before, and had an unspoken rule not to interfere when it came to the samurai, and—

Hatsue calmly pushed a few sheets of paper towards them, ignoring Yanagi's look of incredulity. "Yes. We just had a client early today. He gave us these drawings and clear instructions. The rewards will be substantial."

"But Omitsu and her clan are going to kill Hijikata tonight, and I thought we never int—"

Hatsue's lip curled in distaste. "They're lambs to the slaughter. Do you think Hijikata Toshizou can be slain by _them_?" She snorted. "Like I always said, never send a woman to do a man's job. What every man needs is seduction through and through." She locked eyes with them and emphasized each word clearly. "And at the moment of death, he should never see it coming, no matter _who_ or how smart he is." She took a sip of her own tea and smiled, looking very much like the proverbial cat that had caught the canary. "That is why the client came to us. He knows what men want. And _we_ are the best ones to give it to them."

"These are not just men, Hatsue-san. These are _samurai. _The very people we should not mess with—"

"And why not?" Came the cool reply.

Jarenna reached for the sheet of paper that was handed to her. Kimiko saw her eyes darken, but to her surprise, the other woman said nothing. In fact, there was no reaction from her at all, a far cry from what Yanagi was behaving like now.

Yanagi was extremely distressed, and was about to launch into a speech on the backlashes that it would have in the underworld. It would ruin business when their clients knew that they'd picked up something like this, and moreover, it was utter suicide. They were killers, but they were no swordsmen. The samurai could easily slit their throats in an instant. It was true that they had stealth and other shady skills on their side, but samurai are not unintelligent. Especially the ones they were dealing with now. From split-second reaction Yanagi had caught from Jarenna, she knew that it was the same thing she was thinking.

They—

"Hatsue-san," Jarenna cut in before Yanagi could say anything. She was frowning at the sketch in front of her, obviously unimpressed with what she got. "I don't seduce females."

Yanagi stared at her in disbelief.

"I can assure you, Jarenna, he's very much male. He's Okita Souji, the first captain of the Shinsengumi."

"The tensai swordsman?" She asked incredulously, ignoring Yanagi's expression. She held up the sheet of paper and squinted at it. "Did the client get the wrong person or something? Because he doesn't seem to be able to hurt a fly. And quite frankly I still think 'he' is a woman."

"You thought wrong. _He's_ Okita Souji, believe it or not."

Jarenna peered over Yanagi's shoulder and pointed petulantly to the sketch of Hijikata. "How come I can't have this one? He looks like he's going to be kinky."

"Because it's not all about sex," the older woman replied, shaking her head. "If I put you with Hijikata, he'll know that you're a spy of some kind. At the very best, he's just going to use you for sex and then find someone else to toy with. We need someone who can keep him wanting." In the art of seduction, the chase mattered. Every man's greatest excitement lay in the chase and in the anticipation.

"Wanting or not, Hatsue-san," Yanagi argued. "Hijikata Toshizou and Okita Souji are _samurai._"

"I've never killed samurai before." Jarenna mused idly.

"Exactly. If what you say about Omitsu and her clan is true, we can't aff—"

"I've never slept with one either, though—"

"Jarenna, shut up." Yanagi snapped, having had quite enough of her. She turned to her mistress and her mentor. "Hatsue-san, listen to me. This might be one mission where we might not get out alive. These men are not to be trifled with. And we have never interfered with the businesses of the warring factions. Why start now? We will be hunted by that faction if things go wrong. Why destroy the neutrality that we are famous for?"

The older woman's eyes turned flinty. "You will not question my actions, Tsukino Yanagi. I have given my orders."

At those words, Yanagi bowed, conceding defeat. She could never disobey Hatsue-san. Her loyalty to the woman had forbidden her to. Her forehead touching the tatami mat in obeisance, she spoke. "Forgive my trespass, Hatsue-san. It will not happen again."

It would be done, then. No matter what she thought, orders were meant to be followed. And she would do so, even if it meant her death. There was nothing else for her, after all.

Satisfied, she turned to the last, silent young woman, Kimiko. "You are still new, Kimiko, and this operation is far too delicate for you. You will, instead, act as surveillance. Observe them, and learn."

Kimiko's fists clenched involuntarily. She was supposed to sit this one out? "Ma'am, I can—"

"You will do well not to argue." She calmly reached for the teapot and gestured to their teacups, dismissing Kimiko. It was evident that the meeting was over. "Some more tea, perhaps?"

…

"Jarenna-san?" Kimiko asked hesitantly. She had spent the past couple of hours pondering over the meeting, and had wanted to ask Jarenna if she could talk to Hatsue-san, and request for a more active post for her. Of course, it meant getting the courage to actually _ask. _She very much preferred the company of Yanagi to Jarenna, but it seemed like the latter had more influence over Hatsue-san, and was more likely to listen to her.

Only now, it seemed like Yukijurou Jarenna was more interested in the art of flower arrangement than in anything at all. She flitted around the marble table that had been situated right in the middle of the gardens, picking flowers, trimming them, and inspecting them thoroughly.

"Hmm?" Came the absent reply as she leaned back slightly, seeing if the peonies complemented the newly bloomed chrysanthemums.

Taking the plunge, Kimiko ventured. "Um…would it be all right if you could…talk to Hatsue-san on my behalf, and help me ask her if she could give me a more…active role—"

"No."

Kimiko flinched at the immediate reply. The other woman didn't even have a change of expression, and she briefly wondered if she was talking to the flowers or something.

"Yes, I'm talking to you, Kimiko-san." There was amusement in her voice, which strangely grated on her nerves. Was she a mind-reader, now?

"Your expressions are written so clearly on your face," Jarenna continued, plucking out a peony stalk and trimming down some of it to make it look better. "The answer is no."

"But—why?" she argued, having gotten over the surprise. "I've been in the field for well over seven months now, and I've learned the ropes of the business, and I've finished missions by myself, haven't I? Surely I'm qualified to at least participate in this?"

"Those were errands."

"What?"

"The 'missions'. They were errands." Jarenna's attention was fixated on the pond—well, more specifically, the newly-bloomed lotuses that were in it. "You're not ready for this."

Kimiko was insulted. "Not ready?" She had done everything they had told her to do. She'd practiced, and had shown a lot of promise, which was why she had been chosen. And now they told her that she wasn't ready? "Not ready in what way? I've been honing my skills in the—"

"Against who?"

She blinked, confused. "I'm sorry?"

"Who have you tested your skills against?" Jarenna asked idly, rearranging the flowers in a brand new direction. The last one made the whole thing look uncoordinated and messy.

Kimiko frowned. They'd always trained alone, she knew that! There were only three of them, and each had their training and practice away from each other. Hatsue-san had specifically requested for it, so as to lessen their knowledge of each other's strengths and weaknesses. It was a clear disadvantage especially when it came to fights, but they were not samurai, and therefore fights were few and far between. If it ever came down to a fight, it would not be with samurai, which would give them the adequate edge over them. Moreover, being killers, each of them were in danger of being killed themselves. If anything went wrong, one would not hesitate to kill the other upon orders.

Secrets, even among the three killers, were imperative.

"Jarenna-san—"

She took the flowers out of the plain vase once more and gently lay them on the table. "You'll be useless."

She bristled at the blunt remark. How would she know? She hadn't even seen what she could do! "You don't have the ri—"

"Do you believe that I can slit your throat where you stand?"

The sudden question caught her off guard, and she recoiled instinctively. Jarenna did not even look up from her flowers, and yet her tone...it was so casual, and yet she could sense the hidden steel. This woman was not joking around. "I…"

Jarenna looked up this time, waiting for her to finish. Kimiko took a deep breath. Was this another of her tests to see if she was worthy? "I don't believe that."

The other woman stared at her for a long moment, her dark eyes unreadable. For an instant, Kimiko wondered if she was going to attack her.

But all Jarenna said was, "I'll see you at the training centre in half an hour."

She stared. Were they going to fight? But that was forbidden! Sparring with each other was not allowed, Hatsue-san had expressly said so! "Jarenna-san, Hatsue-san said it was forbidden for us to fight each other. I mean—"

She laughed lightly. "You shouldn't think so highly of yourself, Kimiko-san. Do you think you'll know any of my secrets after just one session?" Looking thoroughly amused, she waved a peony at her. "Don't worry, I won't kill you."


End file.
